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BizAsia Music Review: ‘Mr X’

The man with a thing for the supernatural ��� Vikram Bhatt is back with yet another 3D film with a Sci-fi thriller story line called ‘Mr X’. The film seems to be an adaptation of Hollywood hit ��Hollow Man�۪ (2000) and stars Emraan Hashmi playing the role of Kevin Bacon. Should be an easy role considering he won�۪t be seen in most scenes (!) and more so as he stars with Amyra Dastur who is half his age and clearly seen so in the trailers. The promos for the film look rather vague with no clear storyline indicated in the promo which leaves a bit of a mystery to this Mahesh Bhatt production. The effects and 3D visuals seem to be the focus of it all in the film so as to make a technical statement in Bollywood for making 3D films. As always from a Mahesh Bhatt production with Hashmi we expect some really emotional and powerful love ballads in the soundtrack. Ankit Tiwari and Jeet Ganguly are the ideal choices for this genre considering all their recent work.

Music Review: 'Mr X'
Music Review: ‘Mr X’

As expected, the OST opens in the voice of Ankit Tiwari to one of his own love ballad composition called Tu Jo Hain. Lyrics by newcomer Mohnish Raza are perfectly written to suit Tiwari�۪s voice and delivery style. The deeply romantic lyrics put the very existence of the character down to that of his lover connecting every emotion and aspect of life nicely within the bond of the heart. Tiwari�۪s harmonies are deep and poignant typical to his style. The vocals are very well controlled and pitch perfect that help make every word come to life and thus delivers the emotion in a very strong way making the listener immerse in the feeling of the character and at points even teary eyed. The simplistic music with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars on a synthetic deep beat magnifies the vocals by complementing them very well. This is a sure shot easy hit and rightly deserves to be!

Mr. X (Title Song) introduces for the first time ever Mahesh Bhatt himself behind the mic delivering his deep and mysterious voice. Jeet Ganguly composes this in a very suspense thriller style music sequence starting with just a guitar chord and background whistles supported with a large strings orchestra with tons of violins that are quite well conducted to say the least. The arrangement is very situational and perfectly done for the film but this just does not work as a song of general listening with poor lyrics by Rashmi Singh and mediocre vocals by Mili Nair and Mr. Bhatt with his spoken words. This is a purely specific piece for the background score of the film and should work well only in that space while watching the film and fails as a pure audio listen.

 

Saad Shukrana is yet another romantic song composed and sung by Ankit Tiwari. The best part of this song are the lyrics by Manoj Muntashir who brings a lot of depth and soul to the simple thought of thanking your lover for coming into your life. What disappoints here is how Ankit Tiwari tries something different out of his comfort zone trying a little too hard to get innovative with the music. It starts really well with a soft flute texture and tons of ambience and echo to his voice but then breaks into a duff break beat that just doesn�۪t work on top of his vocals. While in the bridge accompanied with some interesting mix with Scottish pipes it adds a good twist to the song but continuing with the beat overlapping his vocals is very distracting and over the time. But nonetheless if one focuses on his vocal delivery and lyrics then one can�۪t help but fall in love with Saad Shukrana.

Ankit Tiwari is accompanied by Neeti Mohan on Alif Se next which is a new age drum n bass twist to an Arabic composition. Written by Abhendra Kumar Upadhyay, Tiwari gives this song a modern twist to possibly get it to clubs but this is a below average song. Yet again Tiwari tries to do something different with this song on the music front and also with his and Mohan�۪s vocals adding too many effects and filters on to them to give it a sci-fi touch. The mediocre lyrics also do not add any value to try and save this song making it purely a filler for the film.

Jeet Ganguly directs Arijit Singh next on Teri Khushboo (Male) to deliver a sad heartbreak song for the album. He keeps it simple on the music front and lets Arijit take the complete lead. Playing just a few strings on an electric guitar followed by a bass guitar chord till a very heavy and deep beat kicks in along with strong keyboard piece in the chorus. All the instruments are very well arranged to complement Arijit�۪s voice without overpowering his sublime performance. There is nothing unique about Arijit�۪s vocal here but it is iconic nonetheless as to how he delivers perfection in them every time in every song. The lyrics by Rashmi Singh are far better than her earlier song on the album with a lot of rhyme and poetic connotations that are beautifully rendered. A really good listen if heard in the right mood and an open heart to feel the pain and subtleties in the words.

Mr X Emraan Hashmi Amyra Dastur 340x

Teri Khushboo (Female) is the exact same song as the above but this time in the voice of Palak Muchhal who is one of the most gorgeous female voices in the industry. Her rendition is equally pure and painful to listen to as the former version. There is a lot of control and melody in her voice which is fabulous for a sad song but she does sound a lot like Shreya Ghoshal in many parts. Musically and lyrically the song is exactly the same with no difference. This could have been done as a single song with both the singers singing alternate parts really but due credit to both the singers for holding their own.

FINAL WORD

The soundtrack of ��Mr. X�۪ does not surprise in any way and has the usual elements of a Mahesh Bhatt ��� Vikram Bhatt combination. Love and romance is at the heart of most songs and are of course the focus and show stealers of the album. But that also means that the album lacks variety and overall entertainment value for a music lover who is looking for package of different emotions and sounds. Tu Jo Hain is by far the big song on the album and perhaps the only song with strong commercial credibility for radio and TV air time while being music charts material. Due credit to Ankit Tiwari for composing this song and delivering great vocals all through the album overshadowing even the work of Arijit Singh who is the most sought after singer in the industry at the moment. On the composition front he does get a little too ambitions and over does a few songs to almost ruin them. Jeet Ganguly does a fairly good job keeping a decent balance all through. This is a strong album as far as the lyrics and vocals are concerned but very limited in its appeal to a wider audience. Teri Khushboo and Tu Jo Hain are the songs to check out while the others are one time listens.

BizAsia Showbiz Rating ��� 6/10